Game apparatus



Dec. 17, 1963 Filed Sept. 20. 1961 A. MILLER GAME APPARATUS llIiNili'l 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. A BE MILL E R BY W ATTORNEYS Dec. 17, 1963 A.MILLER 3,114,556

GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ABE M l LLE R JZ BY M,%

ATTO R NEYS United States Patent 3,114,556 GAME APPARATUS Abe Miller,10118 E. 2nd, Tulsa, Okla. Filed Sept. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 139,553 3Claims. c1. 273 17s This invention relates to a game apparatus. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to an apparatus adaptable for use ina variety of ways as the basis for types of miniature golf games andincluding provisions whereby miniature golf ranges may be set up in anysmooth area, such as a back 'lawn, in only a short time.

An object of this invention is to provide a device, unlimited in itsmodifications, which can form the basis of a new type of game somewhatsimilar to the popular game of miniature golf. Miniature golf rangeshave been established in most cities of the United States. This type ofamusement combines the accuracy required for golf, especially puttingaccuracy, with novel types of traps. The acceptance of this type ofsport or amusement is indicated by the large number of commercialminiature golf installations in the nation. Even though a miniature golfcourse does not require a large amount of area, the establishment ofsuch a course is fairly expensive so that heretofore miniature golf hasbeen limited to commercial installations.

This invention provides an apparatus adaptable for use in small levelareas, such as the back yards of homes, the front lawns of hotels andmotels, and so forth. By the basic apparatus of this invention, aminiature golf course can be set up in just a few minutes on any smootharea providing the test of skill and the novel types of hazardsordinarily found in commercial miniature golf courses. The provision ofthe game apparatus of this invention has additional advantages in thatas soon as play is terminated the apparatuses may be removed from thefield of play for easy storage. By utilizing the game apparatus of thisinvention, a miniature golf course may be established in the back yardof a home in approximately the same amount of time as required to set upa back yard croquet course.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a game apparatusutilizing the skill normally associated with the putting of golf ballsto provide a basis for establishing miniature golf courses.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus of atype adaptable to demand of players not only skill in the putting of agolf ball, but also to add novelty and uncertainty in the play of thegame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus,portable in its use, which is adaptable for easy positioning at randomspaced intervals and locations in a relatively small flat area toprovide means for the immediate establishment of a miniature golfcourse.

These and other objects and a better understanding of the invention maybe had from the following description and claims taken in conjunctionwith the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of a configuration of the base member ofthe invention.

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention as it is positioned for play.

FIGURE 4 is a top view of one embodiment of the base member of theinvention.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of a base member ofthe invention.

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of a removable cup and flag holder asutilized as a portion of one embodiment of the game apparatus of thisinvention.

3,114,556 Patented Dec. 17, 1963 FIGURE 7 is a top view of anarrangement of a base member of this invention having three ballopenings.

FIGURE 8 is an isometric view of a cover member of an embodiment of agame apparatus of this invention having, when inverted over a basemember, a configuration as shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view of a game apparatus as formed withthe apparatus base of FIGURE 7 and the cover member of FIGURE 8, astaken along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 10 is a top view of one embodiment of a base member of thisinvention showing an arrangement having two ball openings.

FIGURE lil is a top view of an arrangement of a base member of thisinvention having three ball openings. FIGURE 11 is contrasted withFIGURE 7 which also has three ball openings to exemplify the variety ofarrangements to which the invention is subject.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FIGURE 1, the game apparatusof this invention is indicated general-ly by the numeral 18. The gameapparatus 10 may be of various sizes, but in the considered optimumembodiment is of a size which is easy to handle and of a weight so thata typical player can easily move it about so that it may be easilystored or placed into playing position, or may be rotated to variouspositions during play.

Game apparatus 10, as shown in FIGURE 1, has four ball openings 12formed therein adaptable to receive 'a golf ball. Game apparatus 10serves the function of a cup in the ordinary golf game. That is, it is adevice positioned to receive a ball for scoring. It can be seen thatwith the configuration of FIGURE 1 a player approaching the gameapparatus 10 may putt the ball into either one of the four ball openings12. In one embodiment, and the considered optimum embodiment, only oneof the ball openings 12 leads into the cup, which Will be describedsubsequently, and the other three ball openings 12 serve, in one way oranother, as traps so that the ball will be returned for play Without theplayer having scored.

A cup cover 14 covers the cup, which will be described and shown in moredetail subsequently. One of the ball openings 12 leads into a cupcovered by cup cover 14 so that if a player chooses the proper ballopening 12 and putts the ball accurately into this proper opening, itwill remain in the cup in the game apparatus 10. By lifting the cupcover 14 from the game apparatus 10, the cup is exposed and the playermay retrieve his ball, having scored the hole represented by the gameapparatus 10, and proceed to the next hole.

Cup cover 14 may be equipped as shown with a small flag staff 16adaptable to support a flag 18 which may have a numeral 20 formedthereon to identify the hole in the game sequence.

Game apparatus 10 is comprised basically of a body member 11 havingvarious openings and passages formed therein. Body member 11, in thesimplest embodiment, may be composed of a single basic element havingthe mentioned various openings and passages formed therein, as will bedescribed subsequently. As a manufacturing expedient the body member 11is best composed of two basic components, a base member and a covermember. For simplicity of explanation, the body member 11 is shown inthis description as composed of these two basic elements.

FIGURE 9 discloses a cross-sectional view of a game apparatus 10 whereinthe body member 11 is composed of a cover member 22 and a base member24. Cover member 22 may be formed of any material, but preferably ofsome light material such as plastic. Cover member 22 may be in amultitude of configurations as long as openings 12 are provided forreceiving the entrance of a golf ball. The other basic component of thegame apparatus is the base member 24. Base member 24 may be made of avariety of materials, but a light material such as foam plastic ispreferable. Ball passages 26 are formed in the base member 24communicating to ball openings 12 in the cover member 22. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention only one of the ball passages 26leads to a cup cavity 28 formed in approximately the center of basemember 24.

If the body member 11 of FIGURE 1 is constructed of a base member and acover member, the base member has a configuration such as that shown inFIGURE 2. By this arrangement a golf ball which enters ball opening 12Aand travels through ball passage 26A will enter the cup cavity 28. Aball which enters ball openings 12B or 128 will travel through ballpassage 26B and thus come out the other side. A ball which enters ballopening 12C will travel through ball passage 26C to a dead end and theball will thus be returned out the same opening. It can be seen thenthat when a player approaching the game apparatus 10 of FIGURE 1 desiresto score the hole, he must not only have sufiicient proficiency atputting to enter the ball opening 12 which he selects, but he mustselect the proper ball opening 12A. If he selects any of the other ballopenings, 12B, 123' or 120, he will not score and will be required toput his ball into position to enter another one of the ball openings 12which he has selected, which also may be the incorrect opening. Thus,the apparatus of this invention provides a device having three basicdesirable characteristics which are as follows: One, a game apparatus isprovided which is light and portable and movable, easy to store and easyto position on the playing field so that a miniature golf course may beestablished in any smooth playing area in just a few minutes utilizingone or more of the game apparatuses 10. In typical use, according to thesize of the playing field, three, four, six or even more of the gameapparatuses 10 may be positioned on the playing field. Second, a gameapparatus is provided requiring putting skill of the participants inputting the ball into the proper opening 12, thus utilizing the skillgolfers possess, or would like to possess. Third, a game apparatus isprovided introducing putting hazards, that is, the participant mustselect the proper opening in which to enter before he can score the holeand his incorrect estimates of which is the proper opening 12 willincrease the number of putts necessary to score a hole.

FIGURE 1 is merely exemplary of a multitude of embodiments which may beoriginated using the basic concepts of this invention.

Referring again to FIGURE 9, it can be seen that base member 24 isprovided with a flat bottom surface 29 adaptable to support the gameapparatus 10 on any type of fiat playing surface.

FIGURE 3 discloses an alternate embodiment providing sides which slopeup to a substantially flat top 32. The configuration of the gameapparatus 10 will depend to a great extent upon the type of material andmanufacturing process used, however, any such configurations embodyingthe concepts and novelty of this invention is within the purview of thisdisclosure.

FIGURE 8 is an isometric view of the cover member 22 of the overallapparatus configuration of FGURE 3. The cover member 22 of FIGURE 8 isshown inverted to disclose the internal configuration. The cover member22 of FIGURE 8 shows an embodiment using only three ball openings 12.Cover member 22 is provided with a cup opening 33 adaptable to receivethe cup cover 14, as shown in FIGURE 3 and in cross-section in FIGURE 9.The cover member 22 is adaptable for use in conjunction with the basemember 24 shown in FIGURE 7. Base member 24 of FIGURE 7 is provided withball passages 26A and 263. Ball passage 26A leads to the cup cavity 28,while ball passage 26B leads all the way through the base member 24,around cup cavity 28, to communicate with opposite sides of the basemember 24. With the cover member 22 of FIGURE 8 positioned and securedto the base member 24 of FIGURE 7, a game apparatus is provided havingthe general external configuration of FIGURE 3, except only three ballopenings 12 are provided.

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIGURE 7showing the apparatus combining the cover member 22 of FIGURE 8 and thebase member 24 of FIGURE 7. Note in FIGURE 9 that the cup cover 14 ispositioned in cup opening 33 of the cover member 22. In themanufacturing process, as the game apparatus 10 is assembled, the basemember 24 will be secured to cover member 22 as by cementing, or withscrews, etc. The means of securing the cover member 22 to base member 24will depend primarily on the types of materials used.

Game apparatus 19 is so designed that a player, under usual playingconditions, cannot visually ascertain which of the ball openings 12 hemust enter to score. Rules of the various games which could be made upto utilize the game apparatus of this invention would prohibit theplayer from close examination of the game apparatus 10 to determinewhich ball opening 12 to enter so that all players would be forcedequally to the mental choice of which ball opening to first enter. Inplay, after a hole is scored, the other players would then know whichball opening 12 to enter the device. To make the game equal to allplayers, a player, after scoring a hole and removing his golf ball fromthe cup cavity 28, may pick the apparatus 10 from the playing surfaceand spin it around or place it back down after rotating it so that thefollowing players Will be confused as to which ball opening to enter andwill be forced to make the same mental decision he had to make in orderto score the hole.

Referring back to FIGURE 9, it can be seen that after a ball has enteredthe correct ball opening 12A and travelled through ball passage 26A itenters cup cavity 28. The player may then, by use of the flag staff 16,lift off cup cover 14- to retrieve his ball and then proceed to the nexthole.

An alternate embodiment whereby a player, after scoring a hole, mayconfuse his fellow players as to which of the ball openings 12 must beentered is shown in FIG- URES 5 and 6. Referring first, however, toFIGURE 4, a top view is shown of the configuration of the base member 24of FIGURE 2. As can be seen in this top view, only a ball entering ballpassage 26A can go to cup cavity 23. The ball which enters ball passage26B will pass around cup cavity 28 and pass out the other side. The ballentering ball passage 26C will meet a dead end and will return out thesame opening. Using a game apparatus having a base member 24 as shown inFIGURE 4 would require the player, after scoring a hole, as previouslydescribed, to lift the entire game apparatus 10 to spin it around sothat the following co-players will be forced to make a mental choice asto which opening to enter. An alternate arrangement which avoids thenecessity of moving the entire game apparatus is shown in FIGURE 5. Inthis arrangement base member 24- is provided with ball passages 26 whichare symmetrical, that is, all of ball passages 26 in FIGURE 5 lead tothe cup area. In this embodiment, however, a removable cup 35, as shownin FIGURE 6, is utilized. Removable cup 35 is of a cylindricalconstruction having side walls 36 with an opening 38 in one quadrant ofside walls 36. The removable cup 35 is equipped with the cup cover 14,which is best integrally formed therewith, and flag staif16. Thecylindrical lower portion of the removable cup 35 is completed with abot-tom 4t). Splines 42 are formed on the exterior of the removable cup35 to align the cup as it is replaced in the base member 24. As can beseen in FIGURE 5, the base member 24 is provided with spline grooves 44to receive splines 42. The provision of splines 42 and spline grooves 44means that when the removable cup 35 is remo 'ed from the game apparatusit may be reinserted to align cup opening 3% with any of the ballpassages 26.

The provision of removable cup 35 permits a player who has scored a holeto retrieve his ball and at the same time he may replace the removablecup 35 in a different position so that the following. players will haveto choose which ball opening 12 to enter. Whereas in the embodimentshown in FIGURES l and 3 the entire game apparatus CW must be lifted androtated to con- :fuse the following players, in the embodiment of FIG-URES 5 and 6 only the removable cup 35 must be removed in order to alterthe opening which will score the hole.

it is apparent that the game apparatus 10 of this invention may bevaried in an unlimited number of ways. For instance, in FIGURE 10* a topview of a base member 24 is shown having only two ball passages 26, oneof which leads to cup cavity 28 and the other leading to a dead end.

FIGURE ll discloses a top view of a base member 24 having three ballpassages 26 as is shown in FIGURE 7 with the difference that two of theball passages 26B- and lead to dead ends. This is merely exemplary ofthe tremendous number of alternate embodiments which could be madeutilizing the novel concept of this invention.

The apparatus readily suggests many games and many sets of rulesproviding for scoring procedures, extra stroke penalties, and so forth.in some arrangements all of the game apparatus in will be exactly alikeand the novelty is introduced in that each player has the privilege ofconfusing the following players as to which opening they must enter toscore the hole. In other games the sets or" game apparatus 1% may all bediiferent, introducing new hazards and novelties to the game.

This invention is not to be considered to be limited to these specificembodiments shown herein, but this disclosure is intended only todescribe embodiments which may be considered to be in some Waysoptimuim, but which are primarily exemplary of the application of theconcepts of the invention. Many changes may be made in the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components without departing fromthe spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Iclairn:

1. A game apparatus adaptable for use as a cup to receive a golf ball assaid ball is potted on a playing surface comprising a portable bodymember having a fiat bottom surface whereby said body member issupported on said playing surface, said body member having a cup cavityformed substantially in the center thereof and a cup opening in the topsurface thereof communicating with said cup cavity, said body memberhaving at least two ball openings therein adjacent said bottom surfaceeach adaptable to receive a golf ball and said body memher having a ballpassage formed therein individually comrnunioating each of said ballopenings with said cup cavity; and a removable oup member insertable insaid cup cavity, said cup member having a bottom, sides and a top, saidcup member having a ball opening formed in one area of said sidesadaptable to align with at least one of said internal grooves of saidbody member whereby said 'oup member receives only golf balls enteringsaid groove aligned 'with said ball opening.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1 including means wherein saidcup member is insertable in said cup cavity only in an attitude whereinsaid ball opening in said oup cavity aligns with one of said groovescommunicating with said cup cavity.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said body member at thearea of said cup cavity has a multiplicity of substantially vertical,parallel spline grooves formed therein and whereby said means whereinsaid cup member is insertable in said cup cavity only in an attitudewherein said ball opening in said cup cavity aligns with one of saidgrooves communicating with said cup cavity includes a multiplicity ofsplines integrally formed on the exterior of said sides of said cupmember adaptable to enter said spline grooves formed in said bodymember.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,736,447 Kindt et al. Nov. 19, 1929

1. A GAME APPARATUS ADAPTABLE FOR USE AS A CUP TO RECEIVE A GOLF BALL AS SAID BALL IS PUTTED ON A PLAYING SURFACE COMPRISING A PORTABLE BODY MEMBER HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM SURFACE WHEREBY SAID BODY MEMBER IS SUPPORTED ON SAID PLAYING SURFACE, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A CUP CAVITY FORMED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE CENTER THEREOF AND A CUP OPENING IN THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CUP CAVITY, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST TWO BALL OPENINGS THEREIN ADJACENT SAID BOTTOM SURFACE EACH ADAPTABLE TO RECEIVE A GOLF BALL AND SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A BALL PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN INDIVIDUALLY COMMUNICATING EACH OF SAID BALL OPENINGS WITH SAID CUP CAVITY; AND A REMOVABLE CUP MEMBER INSERTABLE IN SAID CUP CAVITY, SAID CUP MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM, SIDES AND A TOP, SAID CUP MEMBER HAVING A BALL OPENING FORMED IN ONE AREA OF SAID SIDES ADAPTABLE TO ALIGN WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INTERNAL GROOVES OF SAID BODY MEMBER WHEREBY SAID CUP MEMBER RECEIVES ONLY GOLF BALLS ENTERING SAID GROOVE ALIGNED WITH SAID BALL OPENING. 